Serbia’s President Aleksandar Vučić said on Thursday, October 16, 2025, that he has formally asked the European Commission to exempt Serbia from the European Union’s proposed changes to steel import safeguards. Speaking alongside Commission President Ursula von der Leyen in Belgrade, Vučić said a letter had been submitted seeking relief for EU candidate countries. According to details reported the same day, the Commission’s plan would cap duty‑free steel imports at 18.3 million tonnes per year—down 47% from the 2024 quota—and would double tariffs to 50% on imports exceeding that level. Vučić said the measures would significantly affect Serbian producers, including HBIS Serbia (a unit of China’s HBIS Group). In 2024, the EU imported €556 million of iron and steel from Serbia, down 9.5% year on year. Serbia produced around 1.4 million tonnes of crude steel last year; HBIS Serbia’s finished product capacity is 2.2 million tonnes per year. The Commission has not announced any exemptions, and the timeline for adoption of the modifications was not specified in the comments cited. The Serbian request comes as EU institutions continue work on adjustments designed to protect the bloc’s steel industry from global overcapacity and shifting trade flows.